At Prodigy Academy, every facet of your student's development is entrusted to credentialed leaders who have demonstrated excellence at the highest levels of their respective fields. This is not an aspirational promise — it is an operational reality. Our leadership collective was deliberately assembled to ensure that academic rigor, legal integrity, clinical wellness, and economic mastery converge under one institutional roof, delivering an unmatched educational experience.
Academic Rigor
Your student is led by National Board Certified educators with decades of proven experience closing achievement gaps and nurturing high-achieving youth to national distinction.
Legal & Safety Integrity
With J.D.s and appellate law experts on our board, your child's environment is governed by the highest standards of policy, compliance, and advocacy.
Clinical & Nutritional Health
We bridge the gap between rigorous academics and psychological safety through trauma-informed wellness protocols and district-level nutritional oversight.
Economic & Technical Mastery
Our team includes international developers, wealth managers, and engineers ensuring your child learns from real-world masters of infrastructure and finance.
The Collective
Meet the Prodigy Academy Founding Team
Each member of our collective brings singular expertise and an unwavering commitment to the scholars of Birmingham. Together, they form the most formidable leadership body in independent education across the state of Alabama — a team whose credentials, accomplishments, and vision set the definitive standard for what a private academy can achieve.
Principal Extraordinaire Wanted
Clinical Wellness Specialist
Dr. Jaquelin Gordon
Clinical & Psychological Foundation Lead
Dr. Gordon holds advanced credentials as a Mental Health & Wellness Specialist, anchoring the clinical and psychological foundation of Prodigy Academy. She commands the institution's trauma-informed care protocols, bridging the critical gap between rigorous academic expectations and psychological safety — a dimension of student development that distinguishes truly elite institutions from merely good ones.
By spearheading the practical integration of the Wellness Suite, Dr. Gordon ensures that the daily socio-emotional and developmental needs of youth are met with scientific precision and compassionate authority. Her approach establishes an environment where high-level learning is deeply supported by holistic well-being, giving every scholar the emotional infrastructure necessary to thrive under demanding academic conditions.
Legislative & Policy Advisor
Jordan J. Smith, J.D.
Legal Counsel & Compliance Architect
Bringing elite legislative and policy expertise forged in the U.S. House of Representatives for Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell, Jordan J. Smith holds a Juris Doctor and LL.M. from Samford University's Cumberland School of Law; a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham; a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies; and an Associate in Science from Jefferson State Community College.
A highly decorated legal scholar, she is the recipient of the Spirit of Service Award and prestigious scholarships from both the Magic City Bar Association and Black Women Lawyers Association. Her formidable background in trial advocacy, policy development, and corporate governance includes pivotal tenures as an Appellate Law Clerk for the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals under Judge Fridy, a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Monica Agee, and a Law Clerk at premier firms including Haynes & Haynes PC and Cole Scott & Kissane. She has further honed her legislative and defense expertise through high-level internships with the Office of the Federal Public Defender, the Jefferson County Public Defender, and Shipt, Inc.
Executive Nutrition Director
National Board Certified
Johnna Rembert-Beard
District-Level Nutritional Leadership
Johnna Rembert-Beard holds a Master's Degree in Public Health from Capella University; a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition & Dietetics from Samford University; and an Associate's Degree in Biology from Lawson State College. She possesses elite industry designations including Certified School Nutrition Specialist, CACFP Management Professional, and ServSafe Certification.
She brings masterful, district-level executive leadership to the Academy, serving as the Executive Child Nutrition Director for Montgomery Public Schools where she oversees high-stakes budgets, menu development, and stringent USDA compliance. Her transformative previous tenure as Child Nutrition Director for Greeneville City Schools resulted in passing a rigorous Administrative Review in record time, surging meal participation by 20%, and successfully securing vital grant funding for infrastructure renovations. She also brings vital early-childhood and regional experience having served as a Nutritionist for Birmingham City Schools and a Nutrition Specialist for JCCEO Headstart, proving her unparalleled ability to optimize both the nutritional and financial health of educational food systems.
Performing Arts Architect
Dr. Jamese Lockett
Visionary Arts Integration Lead
Dr. Lockette holds profound, specialized expertise in the performing arts, entertainment law and business, serving as the visionary architect behind the Academy's performing arts and musical development and entertainment law and business. She spearheads the seamless integration of vocal and instrumental music, advanced theater, and comprehensive communications and radio programming literacy directly into the core academic programming.
By treating creative expression as a rigorous academic discipline, she cultivates world-class artistic capability in students, ensuring their cultural development meets the highest international standards. Under his direction, the performing arts are not extracurricular — they are foundational pillars of the Prodigy Academy educational philosophy.
Director of Strategic Revenue
Ashley C. Hill
AI Expert & Economic Architect
Ashley C. Hill holds a Master of Business Administration in Business Intelligence with concentrations in Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, and Human Resources, alongside a comprehensive undergraduate degree in Commerce and Business Administration with a Marketing specialization. An AI expert, published author, and elite public speaker, she serves as the Director of Strategic Revenue Initiatives and in-house Business Coach for the Academy.
She is the proprietary creator of the Academy's comprehensive Business Curriculum and operational strategy, as well as the architect of the revolutionary Education through Production economic model and the Prosodic Transcreation method for accelerated language acquisition. Her extensive academic and working expertise spans history, genetics, biomedical science, corporate leadership, STEAM, classical studies, robotics, music, video production, photography, commercial construction, auto-body repair, agriculture, insurance, tax preparation, real estate, marketing, and foreign languages. Leveraging her foundational experience as a district-level Education Liaison for Birmingham City Community Education Department, she brings unmatched authority in navigating complex state regulatory frameworks, ensuring audit-ready precision and maximized public funding.
Financial & Development Leadership
Masters of Infrastructure, Wealth & Development
The economic backbone of Prodigy Academy is fortified by leaders whose expertise spans wealth management, banking, international development, and engineering. These professionals ensure that the institution's financial architecture, real estate initiatives, and student economic literacy programs operate at standards that rival the most prestigious institutions in the nation.
Wealth Management & Real Estate
Maleah Bush
Investment Titan & Asset Strategist
Maleah Abrams stands as a pioneering force in wealth management, an investment titan, and a visionary real estate expert whose influence transcends traditional finance. Her entrepreneurial genius is evident in the successful founding and powerful growth of vast agricultural enterprises, demonstrating a profound grasp of diverse economic ecosystems. For the Academy, she champions elite financial stewardship, asset mastery, and dynamic wealth-generation strategies, directly translating to a robust economic framework and groundbreaking real estate ventures. This unparalleled expertise ensures the Academy's financial stability and operational longevity. She also ensures students receive a practical, cutting-edge financial education, empowering them to build generational wealth and navigate complex economic landscapes with confidence. Under her guidance, the Academy's economic programs are not merely meeting but actively redefining institutional excellence, securing a prosperous future for all its members.
Banking & Finance Authority
Kish Celestine
Capital Architect & Loan Strategist
Kish Celestine embodies unrivaled real-world expertise as both a distinguished banking and finance authority and a highly strategic loan originator. Her profound insight into the intricacies of capital acquisition and sophisticated lending structures directly underpins the Academy's ambitious financial endeavors and ensures its sustained growth and operational excellence.
She not only provides critical economic foresight for institutional development but also empowers students and their families with the tactical financial literacy essential to forge enduring generational wealth. Under her guidance, the Academy’s financial programs transform complex concepts into actionable strategies, enabling our community to confidently navigate and master the most elite economic landscapes.
Finance & Insurance Authority
Corwin Sledge
Finance Director & Community Wealth Advocate
Corwin Sledge serves as a distinguished Financial Representative and Broker-Dealer affiliated with U.S. Financial Planners and Prodigy Business, leveraging over a decade of specialized experience in the insurance industry with comprehensive licensure across all major lines. Having successfully passed the Securities Industry Essentials exam, he is pursuing advanced credentials as a Certified Financial Advisor, underscoring his unwavering commitment to excellence.
Corwin excels in crafting sophisticated protection and risk-management strategies that safeguard long-term security and wealth preservation for discerning clients. At Prodigy Academy, his strategic acumen fortifies financial stability through rigorous budgeting, cash flow optimization, and contingency planning—essential for sustaining operations amid enrollment dynamics and economic variables—while driving longevity via endowment growth, diversified revenue streams, and family-centric financial literacy initiatives that cultivate enduring loyalty and multi-generational support. A steadfast advocate for community empowerment, Corwin champions accessible education in generational wealth-building, ensuring Prodigy's mission thrives for decades to come.
Specialized Education & Operations
The Pillars of Precision & Protection
From exceptional education advocacy to clinical-pedagogical bridging, security operations, and engineering oversight, these leaders ensure that every dimension of the Prodigy Academy experience is executed with institutional-grade precision. Their combined expertise guarantees that no scholar is overlooked, no facility falls short, and no operational detail is left to chance.
Exceptional Education Specialist
Gwendolyn Hill
IEP Advocate & Neurodivergent Education Expert
Gwendolyn Hill brings decades of unparalleled pedagogical expertise, honed as a retired exceptional education and disabilities teacher, to the Academy. This profound experience means she actively shapes an environment where every scholar, regardless of their learning profile, receives truly personalized and powerful support. As the Academy's cornerstone for neurodivergent and special education advocacy, her **encyclopedic mastery of complex Individualized Education Programs and unwavering commitment to strict federal compliance** ensures families of students with disabilities can trust their child's rights are not just met, but passionately championed. Her advocacy directly protects and elevates gifted and twice-exceptional populations, allowing them to transcend conventional limitations and achieve extraordinary success where other institutions often falter.
Mental Health & Pedagogy
Roshaunda Moore-Summerville
Clinical-Pedagogical Liaison & Mental Health Bridge
Roshaunda Moore, armed with a Master's degree in Mental Health, wields a rare and powerful combination of advanced psychological education and **unrivaled, active pedagogical expertise**. Her current role as a Birmingham City Schools teacher provides an indispensable, real-time understanding of the daily academic, emotional, and social challenges confronting today's youth, a depth of insight most mental health professionals simply cannot match. This boots-on-the-ground experience allows her to seamlessly bridge critical mental health awareness with dynamic, practical classroom instruction, ensuring direct relevance and impact. For the Academy and its students, this dual expertise means a **truly holistic learning environment**, where clinical mental health support is not just acknowledged but deeply integrated with daily educational realities, empowering every student to thrive.
Security & Facility Operations
T Lewis
Facility Commander & Security Operations Chief
T Lewis holds extensive executive experience as a business owner specializing in facility management, commercial construction, and comprehensive security operations. He provides the Academy with elite strategic oversight for its physical infrastructure, ensuring that all campus environments — from advanced trade labs to secure residential spaces — are developed, managed, and maintained to the highest institutional standards.
His formidable background in structural execution and risk management guarantees a foundation of unyielding safety, operational excellence, and physical integrity across the entire organizational footprint.
aCADEMIC cONSULTANT
Dr. Quesha Starks
Providing In-kind Leadership Consulting
With three decades of transformational leadership, Dr. Quesha Starks is a powerhouse in education. As a National Board Certified Teacher, she has shaped students and systems at Bullock County High School, Booker T. Washington (BTW) Magnet, LAMP, Brewbaker Technology Magnet, and McKee Middle School. Her tenure at BTW Magnet was nothing short of legendary: alongside a dedicated team, she shattered achievement gaps for underserved populations, earning the school a U.S. News and World Report Gold Medal and national acclaim from the likes of Google, Newsweek, and Business Week.
Dr. Starks’ impact is written in history—literally. Recognized as Alabama's Outstanding Secondary Principal of the Year and selected for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s elite cohort for high-achieving youth, her influence is so profound that a campus building now stands in her honor. Beyond the classroom, she is an accomplished musician, the visionary founder of The Jessie Merriweather Project, LLC, and a premier consultant who masterfully navigates the complexities of crisis management, school law, and the pursuit of elite educational talent.
An Integrated Holistic Architecture
The Prodigy Academy Collective functions as a tightly integrated leadership architecture, where each member's expertise amplifies the others. Focused on providing elite education to Birmingham's youth, our institutional excellence is built upon four converging pillars, designed to operate as a unified system.
Academic Rigor
Ensures a challenging curriculum and intellectual development for every student.
Legal Integrity
Upholds ethical standards and ensures compliance with all regulations and policies.
Holistic Wellness
Fosters mental, physical, and emotional health for all students and staff.
Economic Mastery
Equips students with financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills for future success.
The Future of Birmingham Is Student-Led. How Will You Support It?
Choose your path to impact. Whether through enrollment, investment, or advocacy, your involvement secures the education of the next generation of Prodigous Scholars.
FOUR Pillars To Support US
The Prodigy Legacy Begins Now
Prodigy Academy is more than a school. It is a declaration — that Birmingham's children deserve leadership of the highest caliber, facilities of the highest standard, and a future built by the most qualified collective ever assembled in independent education.
The Visionary
Secure Your Child's Future. Enroll in our 2026 cohort and give your child access to this elite collective of experts. The application window is open — and seats are limited by design.
Fund the Forest. Your tax-deductible contribution directly scales our scholarships and student-led initaitives. Every dollar invested compounds into generational infrastructure.
Lend Your Voice. Sign the official petition to Birmingham leaders to approve the Forest of Food for All. Your signature carries weight and amplifies community momentum.
Give Your Time. Join our movement. Your time and dedication directly build and empower the next generation of leaders. Be a part of history for Birmingham's children.